There are many reasons to visit Italy. It is a place of historical significance with a large number of historical buildings. Italy is also the birthplace of the Renaissance and, of course, it’s famous for having some of the best food choices in the world.

The hardest part may be choosing the right Italian food dishes for your taste. Fortunately, we’re here to make this easier for you. Here are the top 10 Italian foods for you to choose from.

Pizza

Pizza has been in existence for centuries and no one does it as well as the Italians. The number of topping choices is amazing. However, the key to a perfect Italian pizza is simplicity. As with most Italian food dishes, it uses fresh ingredients.

You’ll need to choose between Neapolitan pizza, which is thicker and smaller when compared to Roman pizza, which is thinner, larger and generally crispier. It’s one food in Italy you can’t miss.

Gnocchi

Gnocchi is best described as Italian dumplings. The dough used to make these dumplings is flour, eggs, potato and salt. It’s common to cook the gnocchi first, then cover them with a sauce of your choice. You can even drizzle them with Italian extra virgin olive oil.

Lasagna

You already know what lasagne is, layers of flat pasta combined with meat, cheese and sauces. However, you can appreciate how good lasagne can taste until you try one that has been genuinely made in Italy with local ingredients.

It’s particularly worth going to Naples where the original lasagne is still made using bechamel sauce, ragu, and cheese.

Carbonara

Carbonara sauce is generally paired with spaghetti. It’s a delightful cheese sauce, full of flavor, and is guaranteed to scintillate your taste buds.

The sauce needs black pepper, beaten eggs and plenty of Italian cheese, ideally pecorino Romano. Now, discover how choosing the perfect shape for your pasta makes a difference to the taste.

Risotto

Rice is generally acknowledged as being good for you. However, it is bland. That’s why the Italians have spiced it up and turned bland rice into risotto. It’s generally made with beef or chicken stock, cheese, butter and a creamy sauce.

Bruschetta

This simple food can be ready in minutes and tastes fantastic. All you need is fresh Italian bread, a sourdough or a ciabatta is a good option. Cover the bread with olive oil and toast for a few moments in the oven. Then, cover the bread with a mixture of chopped tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil. That’s it, your bruschetta is ready to eat!

Cacio e pepe

Like so many Italian foods, Cacio e pepe is surprisingly simple to make. It has just 4 ingredients. The name literally translates as ‘cheese and pepper.’

All you need is your choice of pasta, spaghetti is usually a common choice, a little black pepper, Parmesan cheese and Pecorino Romano cheese.

Focaccia

This is simply an oven-baked Italian bread which sits halfway between pizza and standard bread. Focaccia can have toppings or you may wonder what to use to stuff the focaccia. The best idea is to keep it simple, herbs, olive oil and cheese work perfectly.

The traditional recipe mixes the cheese and pepper with a little pasta water to make a creamy sauce. This is then poured over your pasta.

Pasta puttanesca

Choose any shape of Italian pasta you want, cook it and add the right Puttanesca sauce recipe. This delicious and surprisingly easy-to-prepare pasta meal perfectly summarizes the joy of Italian food.

Trofie and Pesto

Trofie and Pesto is perhaps one of the most famous Italian dishes. It’s made with trofie pasta and a basil pesto sauce. You can make this yourself but purchasing an authentic Italian one is a better option.

It’s as simple as cooking the pasta, adding the pesto, and covering it with the cheese of your choice.

Conclusion

There are many Italian food dishes and not enough space on this list for them all. However, the above are ten of the best and, if you haven’t tried any, it’s time you did.